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The Australian-born soprano, Nola Richardson, has spent most of her life in the USA. She obtained her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Illinois Wesleyan University (2004-2008; also studied Fine Arts Management); and dual Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance (2008-2010) and Early Music (2009-2011) from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University. She was a young artist with the Boston Early Music Festival, a vocal fellow at Tanglewood, a Marc and Eva Stern Fellow at Songfest, and most recently, a Carmel Bach Festival Virginia Best Adams Fellow in 2019. She attended the Institute of Sacred Music Program and in May of 2020 she was the first and only female singer to receive the prestigious DMA degree in Early Music Voice from Yale.
Making her mark as an "especially impressive" (The New York Times) soprano, Nola Richardson has won First Prize in all three major American competitions focused on the music of J.S. Bach (Bethlehem Bach Festival, 2016; Audrey Rooney Bach, 2018; Grand Rapids Symphony Linn Maxwell Keller Award, 2019). These honors have catapulted her to the forefront of Baroque ensembles and orchestras around the country, where she has been praised for her "astonishing balance and accuracy,” “crystalline diction,” and “natural-sounding ease” (Washington Post).
The 2018-2019 season featured debuts with the Grand Rapids Symphony (J.S. Bach's Mass in A major BWV 234), the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado (J.S. Bach's Cantata BWV 51; Monteverdi's Orfeo), and appearances with the American Classical Orchestra (J.S. Bach's Cantata BWV 147), Baltimore Choral Arts Society (Johannes Brahms' Requiem), and the Master Chorale of South Florida (Haydn's Creation). Her debut that season at the Kennedy Center with Opera Lafayette (Fraarte in George Frideric Handel's Radamisto) drew praise for her “particularly appealing freshness and directness” (Washington Post).
Nola Richardson's 2019-2020 season featured her debuts with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (G.F. Handel's Messiah), Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (J.S. Bach's Coffee Cantata BWV 211), TENET (in concert with American violinist Hilary Hahn), Mineola Choral Society (Haydn's Creation), Bach Akademie Charlotte, and Voices of Ascension. In her Messiah performances, she was described as "agile and crystalline-voiced... a stand-out" (Seattle Times). She returned to sing with the American Classical Orchestra (Alessandro Scarlatti's Christmas Cantata), Colorado Bach Ensemble, Madison Bach Ensemble, Seraphic Fire, and the Clarion Music Society. Other appearances such as a debut at the Bachfest Leipzig 2020 as a soloist with the Bethlehem Bach Society, and appearances with the American Bach Soloists and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society were unfortunately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the 2020-2021 season, Nola Richardson has taken part in several virtual concerts. She made debuts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in a J.S. Bach program led by Robert Spano, Musica Angelica in a program of J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel, and the National Cathedral Choral Society in a "Joy of Christmas" special. She was also a featured soloist in Seraphic Fire's Season S, performed a solo concert of cantatas by G.F. Handel and A. Scarlatti with the Colorado Bach Ensemble, and took part in virtual concerts with the Bethlehem Bach Society and Voices of Ascension.
Nola Richardson has also made appearances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony, and the Madison Bach Musicians (Belinda in Dido and Aeneas); sang the premiere of Michael Gandolfi’s Carroll in Numberland (alongside soprano Dawn Upshaw) at Tanglewood; and gave a recital at the National Cathedral with Baroque trumpeter Josh Cohen and ACRONYM. Her performances as Maria Magdalena in G.F. Handel's La Resurrezione and a program of French Baroque music with the American Bach Soloists drew praise for her "lusciously polished... exemplary impassioned singing" (San Francisco Classical Voice).
A frequent of W.A. Mozart operatic roles, she has sung Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and Madame Silberklang in Der Schauspieldirektor with Bel Cantanti Opera, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Maryland Concert Opera, Gianetta in L'elisir D'amore with Emerald City Opera, and gave a “standout” performance (Opera News) as the First Lady in Die Zauberflöte with the Clarion Music Society.
As a dedicated ensemble and chamber musician, Nola frequently appears with GRAMMY® nominated professional choirs Seraphic Fire (with whom she has performed solos at the Aspen Music Festival under conductors Robert Spano and Xian Zhang), the Trinity Wall Street Choir, and the Clarion Music Society, with whom she went on an international tour of G.F. Handel's Semele with The English Concert and Harry Bicket. She curretly lives in New York City. |
